Yeomen Blank the Terriers, 39-0

Hiram, Ohio – Playing under the lights at Henry Field proved to be no issue for the Oberlin College football team as it turned in a dominating performance in a 39-0 blanking of Hiram College on Saturday night.

The Yeomen defense limited the Terriers to just 89 yards of offense and forced three turnovers along the way. Highlighting the Yeomen effort was senior Clay Eaton as he racked up 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss. The 2.5 sacks propels him past former Yeomen great Chris Pisani (13.5 sacks/2005) as the school's single-season sack leader as he now has 15 on the year.

The Oberlin offense rushed for 180 yards led by junior Moses Richardson who had 100 yards on 18 carries and one score. He also caught a six-yard TD pass. Quarterback Josh Mandel was very efficient as he finished 13-of-22 for 179 yards and two scores. In all, six different Yeomen found the endzone on this day.

After a scoreless first quarter the Yeomen found their rhythm in the second quarter. Following a Hiram turnover deep in their own territory, the Yeomen needed just nine yards to secure the game's first score and did just that on a Richardson's six-yard TD catch on 3rd-and-goal.

The Yeomen would eventually take a 12-0 lead into the locker room at the half, courtesy of a seven-yard scoring strike from Mandel to Robin Witjes. The TD capped a 9-play, 68-yard drive that took five minutes off of the clock. Witjes finished the game with 63 yards on six catches.

Oberlin would tack on TDs during its first two possessions of the third quarter. The first score of the second half came on Richardson's one-yard TD plunge that capped a 9-play, 54-yard drive. On their next possession, a 45-yard hook-up from Mandel to Dan Weintraub gave the Yeomen a first-and-goal, but not till 4-and-goal from the one would they finally punch it in on rookie Blake Buckhannon's first collegiate touchdown.

The Yeomen added two more TDs in the final quarter as freshman fullback Nick Theofilos got into the act with a two-yard TD run and later in the quarter it was sophomore Justin Williams who ended the game's scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run of his own.

With the win the Yeomen improved to 3-5 on the year, while Hiram fell to 0-8. It was Oberlin's first shutout victory since the season opener of 2011 against Kenyon and just their second since 1982.

Things will be a little tougher for the Yeomen next week when they travel west to Wabash College to take on the 11th-ranked Little Giants. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.